HOPING TO FIND SOME GLORY: Sky Blue’s Kerr, Stanton, Rodriguez to play for Perth this winter

Sam Kerr will play for the Perth Glory in her native city in Australia. (Jeffrey Auger Photo)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Sam Kerr certainly won’t be resting on her laurels as the National Women’s Soccer League MVP and leading goal-scorer.

After catching her breath after her marvelous, record-smashing season, the 24-year-old striker will return home to his native Australia to play for Perth Glory, Sky Blue announced Tuesday morning.

Kerr will be one of three Sky Blue FC players who will perform for Perth as midfielders Nikki Stanton and Raquel Rodriguez will play for the Westfield W-League side in the 2017-2018 season.

Stanton and Kerr will play with Perth on loan, while a new contract offer has been extended to Rodriguez, a Costa Rican international, for the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League season.

Perth will open the W-League season as it faces Melbourne City in a rematch of the 2017 Westfield W-League Grand Final Friday. The W-League season runs through February 2018. The three players will return to Sky Blue FC prior to the start of the 2018 NWSL season.

Kerr returns to Perth for her fourth consecutive W-League season after connecting for an NWSL-record 17 goals. She became the league’s career goal leader (43). The Perth native, who was named to the NWSL Best XI, also became the first player in league history to register two hat-tricks in a season and four goals in a game.

The 26-year-old Stanton will play in the W-League for the third successive year. In her fourth year with Sky Blue FC, Stanton recorded an assist in a career-best 13 starts in 16 games. She was named this season’s Sky Blue FC Unsung Hero.

The 2016 NWSL rookie of the year, the 23-year-old Rodriguez scored four goals in 21 matches (17 starts) in 2017.